This book is a collection of translated and annotated materials related to Balhae history among Japanese historical materials.
The Goguryeo Research Foundation, the predecessor of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, published the 『Balhae History Data Collection (Volume 1 and 2)』 in 2004, collecting original texts from Korean, Chinese, and Japanese historical materials related to Balhae history.
This collection of materials was significant in that it brought together historical records of Balhae, which had been scattered throughout the Three Kingdoms, in one place, making them more accessible.
However, it was difficult to read the Chinese characters by presenting only the original text.
Accordingly, the foundation planned a Balhae history data collection including translated historical materials to create a more efficient and popular collection of Balhae history data.
This book is the third result of a series of Japanese historical materials, following the Korean and Chinese historical materials.
There are a total of 26 types of Japanese historical materials included in this book, and the historical materials are largely divided into official historical materials compiled by imperial edict of the Japanese emperor (8 types in total) and private historical materials written or edited by individuals (18 types in total).
The nature of the materials included not only official historical documents in chronological order, but also wills, legal casebooks, travelogues, poetry collections, biographies, document collections, and military records, which allowed for understanding Balhae history and providing a glimpse into the Japanese perception of Balhae history in the past.
This book will be the first step toward reading and understanding the history of Balhae, which has been considered a mysterious history.